Ailsa Tyler-Whiteman

Nurse and caregiver-support contributor

Ailsa Tyler-Whiteman is introduced in Pardon Me, I'm Prospering as a registered nurse with dementia-care qualifications and more than forty years of experience in aged care and community settings. Her chapter also draws on the personal responsibility of caring for her mother.

From Dementia to Dreams to Destiny examines the gap between professional knowledge and the exhaustion that can arise when care becomes part of one's own daily life. Ailsa describes recognizing that she was more tired than she had understood and needed to reconsider priorities and support.

Her contribution places importance on connection between caregivers. Telephone conversations, a buddy system and opportunities to meet other people facing similar responsibilities became practical parts of the work she describes.

Ailsa's Christian faith also informs her account of finding purpose. The chapter introduces a nurse and family caregiver concerned with the needs of the person receiving care and the often overlooked wellbeing of the person providing it.